Injury-depleted Panthers ride the kids and Markstrom to 4-1 victory over Jets

Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel | Mar 6

Call them the Florida Rampage or start filming a sequel to, 'The Kids are All Right,' as one Panthers' era may have ended while another promising one began at a rocking BB&T Center.

While the day started with the depressing announcement that Stephen Weiss, arguably the face of the franchise, would undergo season-ending wrist surgery, the night ended with the injury-decimated Panthers enjoying a stirring 4-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets that was sparked by 'goalie of the present,' Jacob Markstrom, and Calder Trophy frontrunner Jonathan Huberdeau.

Tied at 1-1 early in the second period, nearly 14,574 fans were drawn out of their seats by a dazzling, highlight-reel goal from Shawn Matthias followed by Huberdeau's second penalty-shot conversion of his rookie season that helped snap the Panthers' three-game losing streak against a Southeast Division foe they're trying to catch.

With starting goalie Jose Theodore joining Weiss on the shelf for most likely the remainder of the season with a torn groin, Markstrom, 23, notched 30 saves for his first win (3-7-1) since October 2011 in Montreal.

"That's awesome, real happy right now and hoping we can turn this around and win some more games,'' Markstrom said. "[Matthias] does it all the time in practice, I'm not surprised. Congrats to Jon Rheault's first NHL game tonight, shows that hard work pays off.''